sweet lemon?

[Lisa]

An Iranian friend just gave me one of these. She says that they used to have them all the time when she was growing up, and has been looking for them without success until now. Apparently some Iranian immigrants have begun growing them in California, so they're available in more West Coast stores now.

I looked it up and apparently it's not really a lemon (Citrus limon) but a different species (C. limetta), even though it's got the yellow skin (but it's a bit more rounded than most lemons I've seen). My friend says that they aren't so much "sweet" as "non-sour" -- she's a diabetic, so it's one of the few fruits she'll be able to eat without worrying about high sugar content.

Anybody else try them? Any interesting recipes?

[bearfan454]

1. I've never tried one.

Sounds good though.

[housewolf]

2. Is it what's knows as a "meyer lemon"

Kinda sounds like the meyer lemon tree my mom had in Calif.

[Lisa]

3. the appearance is similar, but I think it's a different plant ...

I've heard that Meyer lemons are also smaller, rounder, and not as acid as regular lemons -- but the info I've been able to discover so far suggests that Meyer lemons are a hybrid between lemons and mandarins (or possibly tangerines). They're from China, while the sweet lemon (a distinct species, C. limetta) is from the Middle East.


http://www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/morton/lemon.html
http://www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/tropical/lecture_32/citrus_R.html
http://www.fourwindsgrowers.com/lore/meyer.html
http://www.tradewindsfruit.com/citrus.htm

I had a chance to taste it last night. Thinner skin and easier to peel than most lemons, and it doesn't taste acidic or even "lemony". It's got a kind of bitter aftertaste, though I'm still trying to pin down what the main taste is like -- kind of medicinal? It's certainly different from anything I've had before -- not unpleasant though.

I'm thinking that the juice might work as a dressing, on a mild-tasting green like most kinds of lettuce.

[DawgHouse]

4. I thought the same thing

Folks grow meyer lemons down here in Florida. It's relatively "unsour" compared to other lemons. Also, more round.